Child sexual exploitation awareness campaign launched

A South Yorkshire-wide campaign to raise awareness of the signs of child sexual exploitation has been launched today.

Child sexual exploitation awareness campaign launched

The ‘Spot the Signs’ campaign, a partnership between South Yorkshire Police, all four local councils, Crimestoppers, the National Working Group (NWG) and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), was unveiled at the Carlton Park Hotel, Rotherham.

The campaign includes a series of posters with 14 different signs that a young person is a victim of sexual exploitation. These will be displayed in prominent public locations including on buses, in shopping centres and doctor’s surgeries.

There will also be an online marketing campaign to help raise awareness of young people and how they can report any concerns and where they can get help and advice.

Child sexual exploitation awareness campaign launched

Tackling child sexual exploitation is a key priority for South Yorkshire Police and its partners and we are absolutely committed to preventing child sexual abuse, helping victims and bringing offenders to justice. This campaign is just one of a number of ways we are working to increase awareness of this shocking crime, its tell-tale signs and where people can go to get help if they have concerns.

– INGRID LEE, ASSISTANT CHIEF CONSTABLE

The shocking truth is that most sexual exploitation occurs in the home and within families. We want to provide victims of this horrific crime with the strength and confidence to come forward. That will only happen if we are all alert to the signs of abuse – the public as well as the various agencies. If family or friends of young people recognise some of the signs shown on these images, we encourage them to call the helpline numbers and provide the police and support services with the intelligence they need to act now.

– ALAN BILLINGS, SOUTH YORKSHIRE PCC

You can follow the campaign on Twitter using #spotthesigns and #saysomething.

3 comments on “Child sexual exploitation awareness campaign launched”

INGRID LEE, ASSISTANT CHIEF CONSTABLE (The shocking truth is that most sexual exploitation occurs in the home and within families). what a right load of cobblers- sorry but my own mum and dad where acused of some right stuff from right back when i was 2 years old in 1979, social services involved blah blah blah! between 2004-2008 i and my mum and dad ended up in a court all my medical evidence brought up, what for? over false bullcrap like you just said there in your comment, -for one thing myself was brought up with my mother and dad who social services accused of utter crap, my dad innocent walked out of court innocent- but hey oh why did it continue from south yorkshire to where i live here in devon? because i had children! and they thought the same has you to find out that it’s been a right load of crap to myself personally since 1979 started where? york hospital! now i agree abuse does happen behind closed doors, and yes i agree child sexual exploitation, but then these young mums as well has myself a mum in my 30’s sit watching pagents things on tv, what constitutes has child secual explotation in todays world when children are in pagents all over the tv? ….some will say it’s to set mums up others say it started in america but we live in uk, but if america can do it why can not a mum here in uk?